Ok I've got about 12k to swap an engine and trans into my 03 1500 QC 4.7 I'm leaning to 6.1/6.4 N/A or a 5.7 Turbo setup. I want at least 500hp reliably. Give me the ups and downs of each engine and suggest other engines if you think they're good. (Emissions is a thing in my county so keep that in mind.) And maybe suggest some shops around Dallas/Fort Worth that would be willing to do it.

 

If emissions are a thing in your county then by law you cannot do this swap because the only engine available in your truck that year that you have listed is a naturally aspirated 5.7.

 

Our emissions are based on a smoke test so as long as I have 2 cats then I should pass for modern engines older engine aren't as easy to make emissions ready without choking the engine out to the point of uselessness

 

if you have 12k to do a motor swap why would you waste money on doing that instead of getting a truck with the 5.7 in it,selling your 4.7 truck and using the left over money and what you sold the other truck for to start building the hopper up new truck? By the time you get the motor swapped and running tight most of your 12 k will be gone and you will not have enough to do what you want to do with the motor. Not bagging or anything. I just see this question asked a lot and people don’t really know what time and money it costs just to do the swap itself

 

well the 392 comes factory with a 470-485hp and I'm wanting around 550, so realistically that's a cam and some little stuff plus I can get the engine for around 6k and the trans for 3k so that leaves me 3k to have it put in and tidied up. The time doesn't matter I have spare vehic;es to get me places while it is in the shop. And this Ram was free to me so I'm no money into it. I don't want to strain an engine to get the power I want but I want to be able to push it further later on.

 

This would be my next answer and I wholeheartedly agree.

Smoke test as in tail pipe sniff, or just visual out the pipe? No plug in or visual? That statement is true to a point.

So let's rip this folly of an idea apart. For starters, you have a 2003. Even if you started out with a 2003 hemi, that ECM/TCM combo isn't capable of tuning worth a ****. Even if you converted it to the 2005 PCM setup, you are stuck with a PCI based system, so that factory 392 with VVT and MDS you're looking at...won't run, as it is designed to be governed by a much newer CAN bus system. This limits you to earlier non VVT engines (5.7 & 6.1). You could attempt to transfer as much CAN bus hardware as possible into your truck, but then you run into the problem of it not interfacing properly with the rest of the vehicle, like gauges, cruise control, etc. Brings us to the original problem...you're starting with a 4.7 truck. Different ECM, cable throttle body vs electronic throttle body and pedal, etc. So first you have to convert the whole thing over to a FUNCTIONING hemi setup before you can even bother to proceed. You can stroke out a 5.7 as far as 410 and 6.1's will go to 440 or more depending on how much you're willing to spend as well as hog the block out and stroking it. You will need displacement and good heads to get into the power range you want, which means starting at a 392 at least with eagle heads to at least a 426 with apache heads. Do you still plan to use this thing as a truck? The cam you will need will be terrible for basic truck things like hauling and towing. This statement, "well the 392 comes factory with a 470-485hp and I'm wanting around 550, so realistically that's a cam and some little stuff" tells me you don't have a clue, takes a bit more than just a cam and retune on an engine like that to jump 65-80hp. That engine is pretty well optimized from the factory. People with 392 LX/LC's generally go the forced induction route to gain the power levels you're looking for while still keeping them streetable. See the dollar signs adding up yet? Haven't even gotten to the worst part of this equation. Is your 4.7 stick or auto? If it's stick, then you can probably find a manual trans that will hold up, you'll just need to figure out install and shifter placement. If it's an automatic, you're ****ed. The RFE will not last long term at those power levels. Hell it doesn't last long past 400hp. This means either a swap to a stick, or swapping to an older but stronger 4sp auto such as an A518 or a 4L80E. Just to give you an idea of what you might be in for, I have an 06 Charger R/T. I researched the possibility of dropping a factory 392 into it. Few companies are capable of doing this, only one even somewhat close. Cost of engine, harness alterations, PCM replacement and programming, labor, etc came to $13,000. That's for nothing else in or on the car, just engine and things necessary to make it run.
All of this brings me to this: did you do any research prior to coming here with this question? Or did you figure you could just dive headlong into it and we would tell you everything you wanted to hear lol?

 

Yeah I’m starting to understand that, and although I did want to do something relatively different and build a faster third gen ( cause around here that’s pretty rare) I think I’m going to spend the money on my 91 Chevy single cab and do something LS wise that way I don’t have to worry about emissions and go the easy route. Thanks for the info it really helped me understand the problems with what I wanted to do. God I love my two rams but they’re such a hassle to go fast for cheap

 

It's doable...there's an 05 quad cab running around out west with a 392 stroker that runs mid 12's all motor and damn near 12 flat on nitrous. You just have to know what you're getting into and actually how to do it if you don't have the unlimited budget to throw at it.

 

Yeah I know it's possible but with my low experience and low-ish budget I'd rather do something a bit easier. Cause I really just want a fast truck soon enough for TX2k

 

Start looking for a used SRT 10......